Officer Involved Shooting
by artigiano
Summary: When Danny, Lindsay and Hawkes are processing a scene, they stumble upon the suspect hiding in a closet. Gun shots break out, and Danny ends up saving Lindsay's life. But can Danny survive his wounds? DL in later chapters, with StellaFlack friendship.
1. Shot

**Summary: When Lindsay, Danny, and Hawkes are processing a scene, a suspect is found hiding in a closet. A shoot-out ensues, and during it Danny saves Lindsay's life. But can Danny live through his wounds?**

**Disclaimer: I _still _don't own them. Why do I always say that? ;)**

**Chapter: I'm thinking a grand total of three, with maybe an epilogue of sorts :) **

**Pairing: Dantana (DL) in later chapters and Flack/Stella friendship.**

**I hope this is up to snuff, writing wise! I'll hopefully either have the next chapter up tomorrow or the next day, depending on the amount of reviews I receive:) **

* * *

Stella Bonasera studied the scene before her. Two bodies, four bullet holes, three rooms, one message on the wall. The first room didn't hold a body, but rather plenty of blood and a note written in blood. _They got what they deserved._ Stella sighed, wondering who could have killed two people and not given a care.

The second room was home to the first body. The man looked to be in his early forties, maybe late thirties, and was once a handsome man. Of course, the bullets in his forehead detracted from those looks.

The third room contained the final body; another man lay on the floor, two bullet wounds in his chest. His blue eyes were in sharp contrast to the red of the blood. His blonde hair stuck up at odd angles, indicating that there could have been a struggle before he died. In a way, his striking features reminded Stella of Danny, and she instantly started worrying. But she pushed away the thought; Danny was fine, and in one piece.

After working through the first room, Stella needed to get some fresh air. The smell of blood and death was overpowering, and she was starting to feel queasy. She bounced down the steps, taking in deep breaths.

Her eyes were instantly draw to Detective Don Flack, who was leaning against him police car. A phone was pressed to his ear, and he bore an annoyed expression. She walked over to him, nodding to head in hello. He returned the gesture, still listening intently to what the person on the other line was saying. She studied him for a few moments longer. He still bore scrapes and scratches from his injuries caused by the bomb. However, he had bounced back from the ordeal wonderfully; he had started working again in just a month.

She thought about how their friendship had progressed over the months, starting with her attack. After the nightmare with Frankie, Don had been there for her when she needed him. And when he was in the hospital, she was there for him. Since then, they had been out to dinner a few times- just as friends- and it as a friendship that Stella greatly valued.

"Yep, I'm still here." Flack's voice broke her thoughts, and she took her leave; she knew that he wouldn't be available to talk for a while. He was most likely gathering information on their victims that lay inside.

She gave him one last smile, and then started back toward the steps- her break had lasted long enough, and she needed to get back to the bodies. As she wandered back to the house, a radio in the squad car beside her flared to life. The noise of all the activity drowned out most of the information, but Stella gathered the gist of it. _Officer involved shooting. _

* * *

Across town, Lindsay Monroe, Sheldon Hawkes, and Danny Messer were stepping into a scene that seemed pretty simple. The home owners lay dead on their floor, their home broken into. A home invasion gone wrong.

As Danny and Lindsay went up the stairs, Hawkes stayed behind to talk to the police officers. As soon as they entered the house, both Lindsay and Danny could tell that something was not right.

"They cleared the scene, right Montana?" Danny's voice was questioning and tense. He could tell that someone was here, he just didn't know where.

"That's what the officer said. He told me himself that they checked all the rooms, upstairs and down." Danny nodded, but didn't seem convinced. His hand itched to take his gun out of its clip, but he resisted. Everything was fine, he was just being stupid.

They slipped into work-mode easily, Lindsay sticking to the body and Danny was looking around the room. Suddenly, a trail of blood drops caught his eye. He could tell that whoever the blood belonged to had been moving because of the shape of the drops. He followed them with his eyes, and saw that they led to the closet. _Both the bodies are in the other room…_ He thought suspiciously to himself.

"Montana!" Lindsay looked up, an annoyed expression on his face. No doubt it was because Danny had interrupted her.

"What?"

He tried to keep his tone light and joking. "Do you always check your closet before you go to bed?" He hoped that she caught the underlying question.

She looked at him confused, when she noticed his apprehensive stance, the hand on his gun and the way his eyes kept darting to the closet. Suddenly, she understood his question: _did the cops check this closet? _She thought about if for a few seconds. The man that had talked to her said he had checked all the rooms, but nothing about the closet- they probably hadn't even noticed.

It was one of those doors that your gaze just sort of slid over. Because it was the same color as the room- matched with the fact that is was small- probably caused the police to go right by it, never noticing.

She shook her head, in relation to his question. "No, I don't." She too placed her hand on her gun, drawing it quietly. Together they approached the closet, guns in front of them.

Just as Danny was about to open the door, someone jumped out of the small room. Danny was knocked to the ground, hitting his head roughly on the floor. His eyes closed, and it was obvious that he was unconscious. The man reached down and grabbed Danny's gun from his belt.

The man wheel suddenly, and fired off a few rounds at Lindsay. She rolled to the side just in time, and the bullets missed her. She cursed when she hit the floor. Looking up, she saw that the man was running toward the front door. She jumped up quickly, following him out.

Outside, it was turmoil. Cops were ducking behind their cars for cover, although their guns were drawn. The suspect fired off some rounds, but they bounced harmlessly off of car doors. An officer that Lindsay didn't know stood up and fired off a few rounds of his own. The suspect rolled to the side- much like Lindsay had just moments earlier- and then shot out some more bullets. They were aimed at Lindsay, but she was pushed to the ground by strong arms. She saw Danny's arms wrapped around her, and she suddenly realized that Danny had saved her life.

A gun went off from somewhere behind her, and she saw the suspect go down, blood blossoming from a hole in his chest. A silence descended upon the scene, and slowly officers started to stand up. One of them walked up to the suspect, feeling for a pulse. The man shook his head, signaling that the man was dead.

Lindsay was struggling to get Danny off of her. "Danny, it's safe now. Get up." But Danny wasn't moving. "Danny, get up!" She pushed on his chest, and he rolled limply to the side. "Danny…"

Her question died on her tongue as soon as she saw four splotches of red spreading over Danny's chest. The four shots that had been aimed for Lindsay were now in Danny's chest. She checked for a pulse, and though it was weak, it was there. "I need a medic!" Her shouts penetrated the quiet atmosphere, and instantaneously multiple cops dived for their phones. And Lindsay could do nothing but wait.

She placed her hand over one of the wounds, the one directly over his heart. She pushed on it, trying to stop the blood, but it continued to gush from the wound. Lindsay felt tears start to fall, but she didn't wipe them away. She didn't care.

She looked to Danny's face, trying to keep her eyes from drawing to the horrible red on his chest. His face was not as she expected; instead of being contorted in pain, it had a peaceful look. A breath escaped Danny's lips and she leaned in to hear what he said. "Montana…"

* * *

The paramedics had only let her ride in the ambulance because she refused to let go of Danny's hand. And it still took a lot of persuasion of Hawkes' part for them to agree.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. On the way there, Danny had flat- lined five times. Lindsay watched helplessly as they ripped open his shirt, and placed the paddles on his chest.

_I always wanted to see him without a shirt..._ She thought ironically, as they sped toward the hospital. After a long time, the ambulence pulled into the ambulence bay, and the emergency room door swung open. Danny was wheeled in quickly, still in critical condition. He hadn't regained consciousness at all.

Lindsay watched, powerless to help. They rushed him into surgery, and she sat in the waiting room, doing just that; waiting. She sat, waiting for news. News on whether he was alive or dead. News on anything.

As she sat, Lindsay thought of all the things that would never happen if Danny died. She wouldn't get to tell him that she enjoyed their friendship, and that she loved the way he said her name. She wouldn't ever get to hear him call her "Montana" again, or hear the way he teased her when she blushed. She would never get to do so many things with him. She wouldn't ever get to tell him how she felt.

* * *

**Well? How was it? Good? Bad? The best story you've ever read? The worst ever:)**

**Please review, and tell me what you think. The faster you review, the faster I'll have up the next chapter! ;)**

**Charlotte**


	2. Wait

**Oh my gosh, thank you for all the reviews! Everybody has been giving me positive feedback, and telling me that it's been _super _stressful, which is what I was aiming at. Thanks so much!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them. :) **

**Chapters: I'm thinking probably about five, maybe more or less, and probably an epilogue. :) **

**Well, the second chapter is finally here! Hopefully you like it, and please don't forget to review!**

**---**

Lindsay looked down at her hands, covered in the blood of her friend. Slowly, a tear slid down her cheek and plopped onto one hand, washing some blood away. A drop of white in a sea of red.

"Miss, are you hurt?" A young looking nurse came up to Lindsay, startling her out of her morose thoughts.

"What? Oh, no." Her voice was shaky, and it betrayed the feelings that she was trying to hard to suppress; uncertainty, fear, anger, worry, and something else she couldn't name. Uncertainty at whether Danny would live, and fear at whether she would ever be able to hear his voice again, and that hear him call her "Montana" again. Anger that Danny had been shot in the first place, and anger that he had to be heroic and save her. Anger that she was glad that he had. Worry that everything would change.

And then there was this unknown feeling that she was dealing with; it was different than anything she had ever felt before. But as soon as she thought that, she knew that she _had _felt this emotion before- she had felt this when her little brother was in the hospital with cancer. She had felt it when her father had broken his leg, and when her mother was in labor. It was worry for someone she loved.

But that didn't make sense- she didn't love Danny. She couldn't; he was just a co-worker.

_He's more than that. He's a friend. _Her heart argued.

_You hardly know anything about him. _Her head argued back.

_You know a lot about him- you've talked quite a bit. And he knows when you're not feeling yourself- he can read your emotions like a book. That's something only your family can do. And you do the same for him; you comforted him after his brother was beat up, and after Aiden was killed. And you were there for each other after Stella was attacked and Don was hurt. You know what how he feels, and you're the one he goes to when he has a problem, and vice versa. You know him. _

Her heart was winning the argument. And that was scaring Lindsay. She shouldn't feel this way about Danny, because he was just a friend. Once more, her heart argued back.

_He's more than a friend, and you know it. He makes you smile and can brighten your mood in an instant. You look forward to seeing him during the day, and you actually _want _to work with him on cases now. Face it, he's grown on you and the reason you're feeling like this is because you have feelings for him. _She groaned inwardly, trying to control her whirling thoughts.

"Miss, you really should go and wash your hands. The blood could be infected." Once again, the young nurse startled Lindsay from her thoughts.

"Oh, okay." The nurse nodded her assent, and then pointed the way to the restroom.

Lindsay let the water run over her hands numbly, not really feeling it. The water swirled around the drain, red with Danny's blood. _Danny's blood. _The thought brought everything into harsh reality. Danny was in the hospital, possibly dying, and there was nothing she could do about it. Tears started to spill from her eyes, and she gripped the edge of the sink until her knuckles turned white.

The door to the restroom opened, but Lindsay didn't look up. All she could think about was the fact that she had Danny's blood on her hands.

---

By the time Mac and the rest of the team arrived, Lindsay was sitting in the waiting room again. Her hands were no longer bathed in blood, and her eyes were dry. "Lindsay!" Said woman looked up to see Stella running toward her before she was enveloped into a hug.

"Hi Stella." Her voice was still quiet and resigned.

Stella pulled her into another hug. "Are you okay?"

She choked back a sob. "I'm…I'm fine."

Flack, Hawkes, and Mac stood behind the two woman, not sure what to do. Finally, they sat down, and together, the five of them waited.

---

A few hours later, the doctor finally came out, his scrubs covered in what Lindsay knew was blood.

"Mr. Taylor?" Mac stood up, and walked toward him.

"How is he?" Trust Mac to be so blunt. No niceties, no introductions, nothing. Just a question.

The doctor was silent for a moment, deciding how to make his next statement. "He's still in critical condition. We managed to recover all five bullets successfully, but there was still a lot of damage. He's lucky to be alive- by all rights he should be dead. Your friend here is a fighter." The doctor gave a grim smile before starting again. "The first bullet nicked his small intestine, and the second broke through the lining of his stomach. The third punctured a lung, but the fourth did relatively no damage. The fifth bullet though was the one that caused us the most trouble, and is the reason that he should be dead; the bullet entered his body and went through his sternum bone, slowing down just enough that it entered the heart, but did not go through it. The internal bleeding was…well, let's just say he lost a lot of blood. But, we managed to get all of the bullets out and were able to repair the organs."

There was a moment of silence as the doctor let his information sink in. "He's going to live though, right?" It was Flack that spoke up.

The doctor was silent again, prompting Flack to pose the question again. "Doctor, he _is _going to live?"

The doctor sighed, and then continued. "I'm going to be blunt here. If he doesn't make it through the night with problems- especially with his heart- than his chances of survival drop tremendously. However, if he makes it through the night without any issues, the survival rate is much better." Mac nodded, and the doctor turned to leave.

"Can we see him?" Lindsay's voice was quiet and hoarse from the crying.

The doctor spun around, taking in all of the grim faces before answering. "One at a time, for no more than ten minutes each. He won't be awake though." They all nodded, and finally the doctor left.

Mac looked at all of them, before he finally spoke. "Lindsay, you go first." He explained at Lindsay's confused look. "You've been waiting the longest, and you were there when he was shot. Go."

Lindsay didn't need to argue- she wanted to see him so badly, just to reassure herself that for the moment at least, he was alive. However, the sight that met her was something that she was _not _prepared for.

Bandages covered all of Danny's torso, and some of them were red with blood; this proved her suspicions that the nurse would be coming in soon to change the gauze. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the same nurse that had told her to wash her hands came bustling in, white cloth in her hands. "Excuse me." Lindsay moved to the side to let the woman by, and watched in horror as she gently removed the bandage covering Danny's heart.

A long cut started at the bottom of his throat, and disappeared into another bandage. Exposed by the lack of dressings, Lindsay could see where the surgeons had cut into his skin to remove the bullets. Her breath caught in her throat, and she had to turn away. Still, a flood of emotions tore through her after seeing Danny so vulnerable. This wasn't how Danny was supposed to be.

Danny was the tough guy that flirted with everyone. He was the annoying pain in the butt that you loved nonetheless. He knew how to make you feel better about everything, and comforted you when you needed it. He was the guy that you looked to when you were feeling down. He was the tough guy that only cried when people he loved were hurt. He wasn't weak any other rime, and it just wasn't right that he was lying the hospital bed, helpless and defenseless. This wasn't how Danny was supposed to be.

Finally the nurse left, and Lindsay was left alone with Danny once more. After a few moments she took the seat beside him, and took his hand in hers. "Danny, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't…If I had just believed you when you said that someone was in the house, maybe you would be joking with me now instead of lying in this bed. But you have to get better. You just have to! Because…" She choked back a sob. "Because I have to tell you something, but I'm not going to tell you while you're hear. So you have to get better, you hear?" The tears were flowing freely. "You _have _to because I'm not going to tell you what I need to tell you here, and I know you like a challenge, so you've just got to get better so I can tell you what it is I need to tell you." The schoolgirl in her told her that she committed a grammatical sin- she had just said a run-on sentence, but her rational mind didn't care. She was also repeating herself, but once again, she didn't care. Her best friend could be dying, and she was absolutely powerful to stop it.

Stella watched the entire exchange from the doorway. It broke her heart to see her younger friend tearful and upset like that. But she knew what the younger woman was going through; it was horrible not to be able to tell someone you loved them until it was too late.

---

**Well, was it up to par? Don't forget to review!**

**Charlotte**


	3. Talk

**Well, the next chapter is finally up. I'm not to sure I like how it turned out, so don't forget to tell me what you think. **

**Standard disclaimers apply. **

**A/N: In the last chapter, I meant to say "_If he doesn't make it through the night without problems._" and not, as I'm embarassed to say, "_If he doesn't make it through the night..._" Thanks to all of you that caught that. :( Again, I'm embarassed that I slipped up like that, and hopefully this chapter is without mistakes. **

---

Morning came before anyone noticed. The only indication that it was indeed another day was the light shining through each of the hospital rooms. The occupants that were asleep in their rooms awoke slowly, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. However, there was one room where neither occupant was waking up.

A young CSI lay slumped over in a chair next to a hospital bed, her hand still clamped in that of the man who was lying in the bed. Her head was on the man's thigh, her brown curls spread around her head like a halo. Even though visiting hours had long since been over, nobody had told the young brunette to leave.

Her other co-workers had left the hospital late into the night, with promises to each other to stop by when they had a chance. There were, after all, still cases to be solved.

But the neither the woman nor the man in the specific hospital room were expected to come to work that day. One because he still had a chance of dying, and the other just because of the emotional trauma she had been through that day.

But it wasn't just her co-workers that had left her in the hospital that night. The nurses had done their rounds carefully, trying to avoid waking the girl. Somehow, they knew that she needed to be with the man in the bed, that she needed to be close to him and feel that he was still alive. Of course, when morning came, she would leave and pretend that she had never stayed the night. And the nurses would never mention it, neither to the doctor or the others that worked with her. It would be a silent truce, something that was agreed never to be spoken of again.

---

_Beep. Beep. _Lindsay had been hearing the noise all night, but the sound hadn't bothered until now. It was a constant reminder of how Danny's life was hanging in the balance, a reminder of how he could die at any moment.

Deciding to think about other things she started to tell Danny things that she had never shared.

"I never told you the reason that I came to New York. I mean, I always just told you that I wanted a change of scenery, and that was partly true I guess. My sister was dying of cancer and my brother-in-law was…well, he was sleeping around. It was the talk of the town, and everywhere I went I saw the pity in people's eyes. My family was the talk of the town and I couldn't avoid it. Everywhere I went I feel their looks on me, could hear the gossip, everything. I hated it. That's why I left- I needed to be able to go to a city where people didn't know me, didn't know about my past. I put in for a transfer, and the offer for New York came up after two weeks. I packed my things and was on the next flight." She wiped away a tear, remembering the painful memories.

Lindsay continued, telling memories and random facts about herself. "Did you know that my middle Anne?" She laughed slightly, remembering her hatred of the name when she was little. "I always thought it was such a dumb name when I was little. I always thought that it was so snobby. I thought that Anne was such a boring name." She marveled at how much she had changed; she actually loved the name now.

She wondered if she was being an idiot, talking to a man that wasn't able to hear her, talking about things that were completely random. But somehow, she felt like Danny could hear her and that he was actually listening. She knew that he would want to know these things about her, so she continued.

"My first date was with a boy named Paul, but I hated him halfway through our dinner. I had my first kiss with a boy named Sean Maters. I actually liked him, but…"

---

While Danny was in the hospital, Mac, Stella, Hawkes, and Flack had worked another case before heading out for the evening.

After bidding the others goodbye, Mac had headed back to his apartment. The events of the last few days were catching up to him, and he needed some solitude to unwind a bit. What he needed was nothing but his lonely apartment with a cold beer in hand and his thoughts. Although his mind was a scary place to be, the isolation was just what he wanted.

Sheldon decided to go to a bar for a while- he found the quiet buzz distracting from the morose thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him. Watching the TV, he caught up with the sports news and downed a few drinks.

As Stella started to exit the building, she looked back to see Flack standing at the lab doors. In his eyes was reflected the same look she knew her own held; the look of not wanting to be alone.

Strolling back to him, she put her arm around him. "What do you say to dinner at my place?" Flack started to speak, but Stella continued. "You can't refuse a home-cooked Greek meal with some good wine."

Don laughed. "Stell, you got me hooked when you said dinner- you know me, anything for food!" Flack laughed, although it sounded hollow to his own ears. He knew that neither of them wanted to spend the night by themselves.

By the time that they reached Stella's apartment neither of them was very hungry anymore. Thoughts of Danny bounced around in their minds, thoughts of dying and despair. They were both so worried and nervous that food in their stomachs was an awful idea.

Stella unlocked her apartment and Flack immediately sat down on the couch- he'd been here often enough that he knew his way around and felt comfortable. Stella went into the kitchen and poured them each a glass of wine. She plopped down on the couch next to her friend and took a sip.

Swirling the wine in her glass, Stella looked to Don. "Do you think he'll be okay?" She didn't have to explain what she was talking about because she knew that Flack's thoughts were of the same man.

"He's a tough man."

"Even the toughest man can succumb to something like that." Stella said, the misery in her voice evident.

Flack nodded, thinking about how much he would miss his friend if he did die. "Can you imagine the team without Danny?"

Stella snorted. "Even when he was out of the office for a week when Louie got hurt, the whole lab was different. Nobody was as happy, nobody laughed as much, and nobody joked. Mac was more silent than usual, Sheldon was tense, you were more serious, and I was just miserable. But Lindsay…Lindsay was the most effected. It was like she'd lost her best friend. She was solemn, I guess you could say. I think that if Danny died, it would be sort of like that, but one-hundred times worse." Flack nodded in understanding. "Danny's like the class-clown of the lab. The lab-clown, I guess." She gave a small laugh. "He makes everyone smile. But he's also caring, and he makes sure people know that they're welcome. I think the only reason that Lindsay didn't leave after her first day was because Danny was the only one that treated her like she was a part of the team- he joked with her just as much as the rest of us. Sure, to himself he thought of her as a replacement for Aiden, but he didn't treat her like that. I don't think that is how he feels anymore." She added quietly.

Flack nodded. "If those two haven't screwed each other yet…" He trailed off, knowing Stella would comprehend what he meant.

The pair was silent for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts. "After Danny gets better…" A smile graced Stella's face. "Let's just say we'll have to find a way to set them up."

Flack chuckled heartily, glad that he could actually laugh now without pain. "Agreed." Both were feeling incredibly happier, and swapped funny stories of Danny the rest of the night.

---

**Sorry for the short chapter, but I needed sort of an "in-between" chapter of sorts, or an interlude. Basically I needed something to take place between what _has _happened and what _will _happen. :) I hope that made some sense to you! Oh, and don't forget to review because I know you want to!**

**Charlotte**

**For some reason, the ruler on the documents page doesn't seem to be working for me, so make-shift dividers have been provided. :) Hopefully it will start working again in time for the next chapter!**


	4. Wake

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, wouldn't I be writing for the show, not fanfiction:) **

**Okay, I know, it took me a _really _long time to update, but I was having a really hard time writing this, for some reason. But I kind of found my stick of dynamite to blow away my writer's block, but it's still not as good as I would have liked. Hopefully it's up to your standards:) **

**Also, I know it's short, but this chapter is really more a in-between for the previous chapter and the next chapter. :)**

**I promise to update quicker next time:) Don't forget to review!**

---

The noises of the hospital awoke Lindsay, and she realized that for the second night in a row she had slept in Danny's hospital room. Blearily, she rubbed her eyes and looked around the familiar surroundings.

Danny was still asleep with tubes and wires hooked to his body. The steadying beeping of the heart monitor was still present, as was the overwhelming presence of death. This was the reason that Lindsay hated hospitals- they were a crushing reminder of how your loved ones could easily perish in the night.

Shaking those awful thoughts from her mind, she stood up and stretched. Suddenly she stopped as a noise startled her. Looking around the room, she couldn't understand where the hiss of breath had come from. It wasn't as though Danny had a roommate, and there wasn't anyone else there. It was just her and Danny. _It's just Danny and me. _

She paused, wondering if… _That's not possible. He's still asleep. _She turned around and looked at Danny. His eyes were closed, his breathing was normal, and everything was just the same.

She realized that she was still in a stretching position, and decided to return to her chair for fear of having one of the nurses walking in and looking weird. As she sat down, she heard another breath that was out of the ordinary, and again she knew that it wasn't her.

Feelings slightly paranoid, she looked around the room once more and again there was no one there. _Duh, there is nobody else here. Just because you're hearing a whisper of air doesn't mean that it's Danny. It could just be the hardware in the room. _Feeling slightly less unreasonable, she settled back in the chair once more.

"You're acting very agitated, Montana." At Danny's hoarse and tired voice, Lindsay really did jump a few inches in the air.

"Oh my Go-" She started but Danny cut her off.

"A little quieter, Montana, I've got a killer headache." He breathed out slowly, as though trying to rid himself of the pain he was in.

"You're awake."

"Apparently." They sat there for a few moments longer, and then Lindsay rose from the chair again.

"I should get the doctor. He should know you're awake- he'll want to check you over." Danny nodded feebly and rested his head once again on the pillow. In just their little exchange, his face had grown considerably paler and looked much wearier.

Lindsay quickly walked to the nurses' station, intent on getting the doctor to see Danny quickly. He needed to be checked up on right away, she thought to herself, because he was so tired, and…

She stopped her line of thinking, reminding herself that he wasn't dead, or dying. He was just fine.

After making sure that the doctor was indeed coming, she rushed back to Danny's room. He was staring at the wall, although she could tell he wasn't really seeing it. She studied him for a few moments before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

Danny didn't look at her, and for a while neither spoke. When he finally started talking, his voice was void of any emotion, and strangely monotone sounding. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

Danny paused, and then continued in the same weird voice. "It's all fuzzy to me. I remember some things, and then other things…It's like they're just gone." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "I remember getting a call, and going to a house. I remember talking with you and..." He tried to recall the name of the other man, and finally it came to him. "And Sheldon- we were all talking about something. I remember going into a house, and I remember blood. But most of all I remember on overwhelming sense of dread, like something was going to happen. And I remember pain, immense pain. The rest just keeps coming in flashes. I see something, a picture in my mind for a moment, and then it's gone. I keep seeing a closet door, with a blood drop next to it, and I keep seeing a man standing on a porch, and you to the side of him. I keep seeing those images in my head over and over again, but I can't put them together. As he finished, Lindsay noticed with relief, his voice held a certain tone of frustration- at least it was an emotion. "And then-"

He would have continued, but the doctor pushed open the door. "Detective Messer, I see you're awake!"

Danny closed his eyes, the doctor's voice grating on his ears. "Doctor, I-" The good doctor had a knack of cutting people off, Lindsay noted.

"This is simply amazing! Of course, I knew that you would wake up eventually, but the likelihood of it being today was slim to none!" The doctor shook his head, lost in his own thoughts for a minute. Lindsay took this time to speak up.

"Doctor, I-" She barely even got that out before the other man started talking again.

"Of course, we'll have to run some test, to make sure everything is okay, but again, this is-" It was the doctor's turn to be stopped.

"Doctor!" He stopped, looking to Lindsay in surprise. "What?" Rolling her eyes, she heaved a huge sigh. "If you could stop for maybe _just _a moment." She held her thumb and forefinger barely a centimeter away from each other to emphasize her point. "While I am just as glad as you that he is awake, his head is hurting immensely and your loud," _and obnoxious, _she thought, "voice is not helping matters. So, if you wouldn't mind just talking a bit quieter," again, she did the motion with her hands, "that would be grand. Also, maybe just doing the test instead of spouting off about a medical miracle might be a good idea. I'm sure that Mr. Messer would appreciate some more time to relax. Got it?" The doctor nodded, looking stunned. Lindsay guessed no one had ever had the courage to stop him before in his ramblings. Feeling strangely satisfied, she sat back down in the chair that she had occupied for the night.

Again, the doctor nodded and the turned to Danny. In a much quieter voice, he started again. "Detective Messer, I'm very…sorry." He said finally, searching for the right word. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to do a MRI, and some other test- including blood test- to make sure you're working fine, so to speak. Is that okay?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes once more. She was pretty sure that no matter what the doctor did to him, Danny wouldn't have cared less; she was pretty sure he was too tired to care. As she guessed, Danny just nodded feebly, and put his head back on the pillow. She watched as they wheeled him out of the room, before pulling out her cell phone, and making the appropriate calls.

---

**Again, I know it's short, but you'll have to deal, won't you? Because I'm the one writing the chapters:) Please tell me what you think! **

**Charlotte**


	5. Stop

**Once again, I don't own them. Although Carmine would be a nice birthday gift:)**

**Well, I promised that I would update faster, and guess what! I did! Aren't you proud of me? ;) Also, I hope the length of this chapter will make up for how short the last few chapters were. _And _I hope that you like it! There, I think enough said!**

**I guess I lied, because I have one more thing to say. :) I went back and fixed my mistakes in the second chapter. :) Just thought I should get that out there, so you could all know of my efforts of trying to perfect my story. ;) Just kidding, but I just wanted to let you all know, so if want to go back and reread the second chapter to see if it is worded better. That's all now, I promise:D**

---

Mac rushed from the lab to the hospital, driving as fast as the law would allow. His cell phone had rung barely minutes before with news that Danny was awake and as well as could be expected. He wondered for a minute at why Lindsay was the one to call, and not the hospital itself, but pushed it aside as thoughts of Danny recovering once again ran through his mind. This was good news, and Mac was overjoyed. As much as he used to mistrust the young man, he had come to appreciate the effort that he put out for the job, and had come to see him as a friend. He knew that he could trust Danny with his life.

And apparently, his assumptions that his life was safe in Danny's hand had proved correct, if the fact that he had taken five bullets for Lindsay was any proof. Shaking his head, Mac took the street for the hospital, anxious to see his CSI.

---

Stella woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. Rolling over in her bed, she grabbed the object of her annoyance. "Hello?" She yawned, and closed her eyes. Whoever was calling was due for a beating later.

"Stella, its Lindsay- I've got good news." Stella listened, her heart growing lighter and lighter as Lindsay filled her in on the news of Danny. After agreeing to call both Flack and Sheldon, Stella hung up the phone. As much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she pulled herself from her bed and stumbled to the shower. Turning on the water, she dialed Flack's home phone, waiting for him to pick up.

After delivering the good news, she said goodbye, and then proceeded to dial Sheldon's number. She said almost the same speech to the one-time ME, before turning off her phone and stepping in the shower. She let the water run over her body, preparing her for what she knew would be a stressful day.

---

Lindsay waited in Danny's room while they had him in other parts of the hospital. She sat with a book in her lap, lost in her own thoughts. Just as she was about to put the book away and find Danny, the door open and said man was wheeled back in. After the nurses helped get him back into his bed, they told Lindsay that the doctor would be in shortly. Lindsay nodded her thanks, glad that she had a few more minutes alone with Danny.

Reaching over, she helped him sit up so she could rearrange his pillow. She fixed his blanket, and then sat back down in the chair.

"You seem to know what you're doing." Danny's voice was still quiet, but it was a welcome sound to Lindsay's ears. Before the tears could come back, she forced herself to stop being so emotional. _He's fine._ She told herself forcefully.

"What?" Danny's question finally caught up to her, but she wasn't quite sure what he was implying.

"With the pillows and my covers; things like that. You know what you're doing."

Lindsay laughed quietly, still aware of the fact that Danny's head hurt. "It comes from having three younger sisters, and two little brothers. I'm the oldest out of six, and I got used to taking care of them, especially when they were sick. Both my parents worked, and I was a full-time babysitter."

"And when your sister was in the hospital, you got used to making her comfortable?" Danny asked quietly, understanding and sympathy in his voice.

"You heard all that?" Lindsay asked, slightly shocked. She knew that it felt like Danny had been listening, but she thought that was impossible.

"It seems vaguely familiar." He added, his voice still hushed. "It was as though you told me a long time ago, and I was just remembering it for the first time. I'm sorry. About your sister, I mean."

Lindsay just nodded quietly. "It feels like that happened a lifetime ago. Even though it was only about three years, it's like…" She stopped, not quite sure what she meant to say.

"It feels like you were a different person…that your whole life has changed since them." Danny looked to her. "I know what you mean, don't worry. You don't have to explain."

Lindsay nodded, and settled back in the chair. "Thanks." The only indication that Danny had heard her last remark was the slight nod of his head.

Both of them were silent for a few moments, and then Danny asked the question that had been bothering him since they last spoke. "You never told me what happened at the house. It's bugging me 'cause I can't remember, and I want to." His accent became even more pronounced, a sure sign that he was frustrated.

"Danny, calm down. Your mind is probably just protecting you because of what your body is going through. This is probably really normal."

"I don't care if it's normal or not, Montana, I just want to remember!" Danny's voice grew louder, and Lindsay knew that he was on the verge of a total breakdown.

"Okay, Danny. I'll tell you, but you need to calm down." The beeping in the room had become faster and faster, sending several nurses running in the room.

"What's going on?" Lindsay yelled, suddenly nervous; the beeping wasn't returning to normal, and Danny's breathing was becoming more and more labored and shallow. Danny's doctor ran into the room, yelling directions.

She couldn't hear much over the shouts of various people, one of the doctor's sentences kept ringing through Lindsay's head: _His heart is beating too quickly- he's going into cardiac arrest!_

Lindsay felt like she was drowning, that her nightmare of Danny dying was finally coming true. She wasn't sure what was happening, and was just sitting in the chair watching the frenzy of nurses and doctors around her. Finally, a nurse spotted Lindsay, and ushered her outside. "I'm sorry Miss, but you can't be in here right now." That was the only explanation that the old lady gave her.

She stood outside the room for a few moments, before walking away quietly. She wasn't sure where her feet were taking her, but all too soon she found herself back in the waiting room. Waiting.

---

That's where Mac and the rest of the team found Lindsay once more, in the waiting room. And once again, it was Stella that greeted her first. "Lindsay, what happened? I thought you would be with Danny!"

Silent tears fell from Lindsay's eyes as she looked up at Stella. "Oh, Stella…" She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Sheldon, a concerned look on his face.

"Lindsay, what happened?" Sheldon's voice was calm and quiet.

At his calm demeanor, Lindsay finally broke down. She was so sick of crying, but it seemed to be all that she was doing since Danny had gotten hurt. "It's all my fault…If I had just told him then none of this would have happened!"

Mac's stern voice was so different than Sheldon's, Lindsay noted. "Lindsay, tell us what happened."

She sighed, and decided right then and there that she was tired of being the bearer of bad news. Why was she always the one with the responsibility of filling in the others on what happened to Danny? Why did she always have to be the one waiting the longest, the one always in the hospital, the one that had to wait for the rest of the tem to show up, while she was sitting alone and scared?

"Lindsay?" Don's voice was worried, and she suddenly felt very selfish. Danny was their friend too, and here she was upset because she was the one who had been here the longest, that she had been the one that had to witness Danny's failing health. They hadn't left because they wanted to, but because they had too. If they could have, then all of the others would have been there, witnessing the same things that she had for the last two days. They weren't allowed the time off, and the only reason that Mac hadn't given her crap about staying at the hospital is because he had wanted someone with Danny at all times, because he cared. They were all worried, and all wanted to know what happened. And right now, she was the only one that knew what happened. She also knew that if she wasn't the one that had to give the news, someone else would. And that would make her feel bad because then she wouldn't be the one spending time with Danny. Her mind was reeling from all her thoughts, half of them not even making sense to her own mind.

The squeeze on her shoulder brought her back to the waiting room, and she looked up to Sheldon for reassurance. After he nodded- as if telling her to go on- she started. "Danny was really stressed because he couldn't remember what happened. When he got shot, I mean. I was starting to explain it to him when the doctor came in earlier this morning. Probably a half hour ago, he came back in and we talked for a while. Then he started asking questions about the shooting. He started getting really worked up because he couldn't remember anything.

"_Danny, calm down. Your mind is probably just protecting you because of what your body is going through. This is probably really normal." _

"_I don't care if it's normal or not, Montana, I just want to remember!" _Danny and hers conversation kept replaying in her mind.

She continued, telling the others what had happened. "He was getting so upset, and wouldn't calm down. All of a sudden, his heart starting beating too quickly, and nurses started pouring in." She started talking faster and faster, the images burned into her mind of Danny laboring for breath, the nurses talking rushing about, and the fast beeping of his monitors. "Then the doctor came in, and started barking out orders, telling everyone that he was going into cardiac arrest, and then…" She trailed off, and looked up to the panic-stricken faces of her colleagues. "Then a nurse told me I had to leave the room, and I've been out here ever since."

As she finished, both Flack and Sheldon sank down into the chairs next to her and Stella, shock written all over their faces. Mac was the only one left standing. "What do we do now?" Stella questioned, looking at each face for answers. Mac was the only one who supplied it.

"We wait."

---

It was barely ten minutes later that Danny's doctor came out once more to see the waiting CSIs. "Ms. Monroe?" Lindsay stood, slightly surprised that the doctor was addressing her, and not Mac. However, she had been here the longest, and had dealt with the man before.

"How is he?"

"He's…" The doctor didn't complete his sentence, and Lindsay could tell that he didn't know what to say.

"Dr. Marks," Flack spoke up, after looking to the doctor's name tag. "We don't want it sugarcoated; we just want to know how our friend is doing."

Dr. Marks nodded, and turned back to Lindsay. "Something triggered his heart to start beating too hard, too fast. After a few minutes, his heart stopped beating all together." There was a collective intake of breath from the five team members before the doctor could continue. "We were able to start his heart again using the defibrillator, and he should be okay just so long as he doesn't have another episode like this." Dr. Marks looked pointedly at Lindsay, and she knew that he thought it was something she said that caused this to happen.

"Thanks Jeff." Sheldon said, nodding to the doctor.

"Sheldon." He dipped his head toward Hawkes, and then turned to leave.

As he left, they all looked up to Sheldon. "Since when are you on first name basis with Danny's doctor?" Stella asked, her tone suggesting she was slightly amused.

"We worked in an ER together for a year." Sheldon shrugged, deciding that this was all the explanation needed.

Shaking his head, Flack stood from his position next to Stella. "While it's so interesting that Hawkes knows some doctors around here, I'm much more eager to see Danny. So if you don't mind…" He tipped it toward the hallway to Danny's room, and smiled. "Let's go."

---

Lindsay wasn't sure whether Danny's face was whiter now, or when he had first awoke. However, his eyes lit up when he saw Lindsay and the others enter his room. "What are you guys doing here?" His voice, Lindsay noticed, was still hoarse.

"Come on Messer, you're acting like you don't want us here!" Flack joked, walking around and patting Danny lightly on the shoulder. Even though Flack's tone was light and joking, everyone could tell that he was extremely worried and concerned about his best friend. Even though Don knew Danny was tough, all of this seemed to be getting the better of him, showing him that no matter how strong he tried to be, something could still get the better of him, could still kill him. And it scared the hell out of Flack.

They talked and joked for a while, the six friends. But soon, everyone could see that Danny was growing exhausted, and so they excused themselves one by one. Finally it was just Mac, Lindsay and of course, Danny.

As Mac said that he had to go, the older man caught Lindsay's eye and nodded toward the door. She gave an indication that she understood, and told Danny that she would be right back.

Outside, Mac turned to Lindsay. "I'll let you have one more day off, but tomorrow, I really need you to come back in; we got two many cases for just the three of us. It's going to be difficult without Danny, but we don't need to have to CSIs absent." Lindsay nodded her understanding, but her heart sank at the thought of not being able to spend that much time with Danny every day. Noticing her slightly crestfallen expression, Mac continued. "I don't expect you to pull any doubles, Lindsay. I need someone to keep an eye on him." Mac had a twinkle in his eye, and Lindsay knew that Mac was doing everything in his power to make sure that she got to spend enough time with Danny. For a brief moment, Lindsay wondered if Stella had been talking to him.

"Thanks Mac. I really appreciate it." Her boss nodded, and then walked away.

Lindsay entered the room again, and Danny and her continued to talk for a while. Neither of them brought up the shooting again, each knowing that tomorrow would be a better day to talk about it. After a while, Danny tired, and Lindsay could tell he was struggling to stay awake. Finally sleep overtook him, and she was content just to sit and watch.

---

**Sooooooooooo? How was it? Did you like it? Good? Bad? The best thing you've ever read, or the worst:) Please don't forget to tell me what you think!**

**Oh, by the way, is the ruler working for anyone else yet? It's really bugging me, cause I can't get it to work:) **

**Charlotte**


	6. Feel

**Standard disclaimers apply. :)**

**Sorry about the delay of this update, but school just started and leaving very little time for me to write. :) Hopefully this chapter is okay; not as much action, more about discussing feelings and stuff. :) Anyway, don't forget to review!**

**WARNING: There are a few spoilers for "All Access" but nothing too horrible. But if you find out something that you didn't want to, you cannot say that I didn't warn you:) Although, if you haven't seen the episode by now, I would have to say that I'm very disappointed! ;) **

---

Lindsay didn't know what time it was when someone shook her shoulder. Looking up, she realized that it was the same nurse that had shooed her out of Danny's room earlier that day. "I'm sorry, Miss, but visiting hours are over." Lindsay shook her head, the nurse's words not quite computing.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was sleep-filled and gravelly. She ran her hands over her eyes, before looking up at the nurse once more.

"You'll have to leave now. The visiting hours are over." Lindsay nodded, tiredly thinking that these were not the same nurses who were so kind as to let her stay here last night.

"What time is it?" Her voice sounded a little bit more human, but still sounded like a frog was talking for her.

The nurse looked down to her watch, an annoyed look on her face. "It's a little past ten. I really need you to leave, Miss." Mumbling under her breath, Lindsay gathered her various things in the room, and turned to the older woman.

"I'm leaving. Let me just say goodbye?" The nurse thought a moment, before finally shaking her head yes.

"Five minutes. If you're not gone in five minutes, I _will _call security." The nurse gave her one more stern look before turning on her heel and leaving.

Lindsay refrained from saying something to the nurse that she would regret, and instead gave the nurse brusque thanks. She saw the nurse give a roll of her eyes, but didn't comment, instead turning back to Danny, who lay asleep. "Hey Babe," She said, as she had taken to calling himself when he was asleep. She had finally come to recognize exactly what her feelings for Danny were, and the term of endearment felt so right to say. Besides, it wasn't as if he could hear her anyway, right? "I've got to go now, because Ms. Visiting-Hours-Are-Over says I have to go." She smirked, somehow feeling better by calling the nurse a name. Immature, yes, but it still made her feel validated somehow. "I have to work tomorrow, but I promise to come back as soon as I'm off my shift tomorrow." She leaned down, hesitated, and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his lip. Hastily, she stood up, cheeks blazing. She grabbed her things and fled.

Inside the room, Danny cracked an eye open and smiled. His lips still tingled from where Lindsay had kissed him. It had been so hard to pretend to sleep as she had made her bold move, and had taken _all _of his will power not to kiss her back.

He had been suppressing his ever-growing feelings for Lindsay Monroe for the past few months. He had tried to hate her in the beginning, because...well, he really didn't have a reason except for the fact that she wasn't Aiden. But he couldn't hate her, because she was just so much fun to be around- she could deal out as much crap as she could take. Slowly, Danny found himself opening up to her, and counted her as a friend. Soon, she was more than a friend to him, and Danny knew that he was falling head over heels in love with the funny Montanan girl. Maybe, just maybe, the feelings were reciprocated.

---

When Lindsay came into the lab the next day, it seemed like utter chaos. Mac wasn't joking that there was too much for just three CSIs to handle.

Walking quickly toward Mac's office, she found that the lab seemed so different without Danny, even though she had only been there for a few minutes. Quickening her pace, she reached her destination without meeting anybody else.

Rapping her knuckles on the door, Mac looked up from the report that he was reading. "Come in, Lindsay."

"What do you need me to do Mac?" The older man chuckled slightly, knowing that Lindsay wouldn't start with niceties. Trust the girl to go straight to the point.

"Right now, Sheldon is trying to balance two cases, and I'm sure that he would appreciate if you took one of those off his hands. I believe he just went to DNA, so you could catch him there. He's expecting you, and will fill you in on your case. Is that okay?"

Lindsay nodded, secretly thinking that it wouldn't matter if it was okay with her or not, she would have to do it. "I'll get going then." Without waiting for an answer, the young brunette exited Mac's office, and made her way toward the DNA.

As soon as she opened the door, Sheldon looked, as if expecting her arrival. "Am I glad to see you!" Though his tone was light and joking, Lindsay could tell that he was tired, and she assumed that he had been pulling doubles quite a bit lately. She immediately felt guilty for not coming in sooner, and helping. Pushing those thoughts aside, she studied the man before her.

He had bags under his eyes, and he looked tired. His clothes were wrinkled, and his glasses were slightly askew. All in all, he looked liked crap. "You've been here a while." Lindsay's comment made Sheldon laugh.

"When you have two cases to deal with, you don't go home." Lindsay's guilt returned instantaneously.

"Sheldon, I'm sorry."

He looked back to her, confused. "For what?"

"For not coming in sooner- you look so tired, and I should have come in earlier."

"Lindsay, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong- somebody needed to stay with Danny. And besides, you were a wreck."

Lindsay laughed and started to sink back into the normalcy and ease of their teasing. "Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome." Finally feeling back in her zone, Lindsay listened as Hawkes filled her in on her case. As soon as she felt comfortable taking the case, she headed out of DNA, and went straight to Danny and her office. _Danny_. Her heart panged as soon as she thought of her missing partner. She wondered how he was doing, and if he was feeling as lonely without her as she was without him.

Pushing the thoughts of Danny from her mind, she sat down, concentration on her work. She decided to read over the file once more, just to cement the facts in her head.

_Victim's Name: Shirley Marks_

_Age: 34_

She read a little further, and stopped again half way down the page.

_Cause of death: Gun shot wound to the chest. _

_Danny lying on the ground, pool of blood around him, his blood on her hands... _She slowed her breathing back to a normal pace. Why did everything have to remind her of Danny? And why was it affecting her so much- it wasn't as though she had been the one to get hurt.

Shaking her head, she once more cleared her blue-eyed partner from her thoughts. She turned her attention back to the report before her, and was again pulled deeply into the case.

_Suspects: Ronald Jones. Boyfriend of two months; stated that he was home alone when Marks was killed. _Rubbing her eyes, Lindsay continued reading. _Had blood on his clothes that is a match to Marks- Jones is currently being held on charges of murder. _

She closed the file, done reading Hawkes' notes on the case. It was a rather easy case to solve, and the only reason that Lindsay was even still on it was because they needed a bit more evidence to convict the jerk. It really was an easy, open and close case. One again, she thought of Danny. Isn't that what he had told her on the way to the B&E right before he had gotten shot?

---

Stella and Flack stood outside Lindsay's office, each watching the conflicting emotions that kept passing over her face. "She's having a hard time with this." Stella's words were spoken softly, but the young policemen could hear her perfectly. He had grown accustomed to how her voice fluctuated with her emotions; quiet when she was sad or upset, loud when she was excited or happy, and monotone when she was trying to hind something. He knew how she was feeling through her voice, something that he prided himself on. And right now, she was slightly depressed, gloomy, worried, and troubled.

"Of course she is- her best friend got hurt by protecting her. Everything she reads or sees is going to remind her of that for a while. Isn't that how you felt when I got blown up?"

Stella snorted, and whacked him on the chest. "Nice choice of words." She immediately sobered, her eyes once again drawn to Lindsay. "It's just so hard, not being able to help her. Because there's nothing I could say that would make her feel better- only Danny can do that."

Flack nodded solemnly, although on the inside he was anything but solemn. Inwardly, he was congratulating himself on making Stella smile, even if it was only for a minute. He realized that he had been doing that more and more lately- trying to make her smile or laugh, to impress her with something that he had done that day. For a second he wondered why he would be trying so hard to wow her, but really he knew. It was a simple explanation, and one that he should have admitted. After all, everyone had crushes, didn't they?

But grown men didn't get _crushes._ He told himself. Grown men were…grown! He gave a little sigh, remembering something that Danny had told him a bit ago. _Sometimes it's hard not to fall for your best friend._ At the time, he had just agreed with Danny because he knew about his friend's affection for a certain girl from Montana. But now, Flack knew exactly what Danny had been talking about.

_Ugh, my thoughts are going around and around in circles. Why can't I just acknowledge the fact that I do indeed have feelings for Stella Bonasera? _He finally confessed it. At least it was a start. _How long have I felt like this? _Now that he knew exactly what his feelings were for the CSI next to him, he began to wonder when these feelings had started to develop. But that too, Flack knew.

As soon as he saw Stella in the hospital, with cuts on her face and hands, he had felt uncontrollable rage at Frankie. In fact, had the man not already been dead, he would have hunted him out and killed him on the spot. After he had helped Stella through that, they had started to spend more and more time together. And that, Flack knew, was really the beginning. Now the only question remaining was whether Stella felt the same.

He knew, however, that he would probably never act on said feelings. What Stella needed was a friend, not someone that was her lover. No matter how the policeman felt about his friend, he would stay silent.

What Flack didn't know is that the woman beside him was thinking almost exactly online the same lines. Stella wondered when she had started making excuses to see him, to touch him or to do anything with him had started. _After the Frankie incident. _She noted in her mind. That's when it all started- he had been with her through that, and ever since her feelings for the man had escalated.

But she supposed that she wouldn't ever do anything about it- she knew that he would never reciprocate the feelings, and besides, he needed a friend. In her mind she sighed, wishing that somehow she could tell him how she felt.

So they stood, each lost in their thoughts about the other. And yet, neither of them new that the other was thinking about them.

---

_Tick._

_Tick. _

_Tick. _

Lindsay looked to the clock, wishing that five could hurry up and come. In just fifteen minutes she could go and see Danny once more. Her heart raced at the very thought of him, and she willed the clock to move faster.

_Tick. _

_Tick. _

_Tick. _

Each time the second hand moved, a different picture of Danny entered her mind. _Danny bending over a microscope, a serious expression on his face, and his glasses above his eyes. Danny, a smirk on his eyes, teasing her about something. Danny sneaking a shy look at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Danny, Danny, Danny. _

She smiled, realizing that she had wasted almost six minutes thinking of Danny. Finally, when she could stand it no more, she scribbled her signature on some papers that needed signing, and ran from the office. After fixing her hair and makeup in the locker room, she clocked out two minutes before her shift ended. She couldn't keep the smile that spread across her face knowing that in just a matter of minutes, she would get to see that special Staten Island boy again.

---

**Well, there it was! Hopefully the next chapter will come a bit quicker, but I don't know- for some reason, teachers really like giving out a lot of homework! ;) **

**_Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd- _the next chapter will have plenty of DL I promise:)**


	7. Confess

**Well, the chapter is finally up. Yes, a bit later than I promised, but homework is evil. I was up until 9 last night just doing homework. Ick. Dang those teachers! ;)**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them! **

**And without further delay...**

* * *

The drive to the hospital seemed to take longer than usual. Lindsay could pretend that she didn't know why, but in truth, it was because she was so anxious to see Danny again. Finally, she pulled her SUV into the parking lot, and exited the vehicle quickly. Racing through the hospital doors, she could feel her heart beating quickly as her feet found their way to Danny's room. Pushing the door open, she poked her head around the door.

"Danny! Oh, Danny…" She trailed off, realizing that the man lying in the bed was not, in fact, Danny. It was an old decrepit looking man with wires hooked up to every part of his body. "You're not Danny." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm Edmund." The old man met Lindsay's tone completely. "To what do I owe this pleasure, young miss?"

Lindsay grinned, instantly taking to the older man. She studied him up and down before replying. His longish white hair was in disarray, but somehow to Lindsay that just seemed to complete his look. He had a long face, with kind blue eyes that were surrounded by plenty of laugh lines. Although he was pale, he still had plenty of vigor left in him. "Lindsay. Lindsay Monroe." She smiled, and continued talking. "I was looking for my boy…my friend Danny." She had to stop herself from saying _boyfriend._ The term just seemed to come naturally for her, and it slipped out so easily.

Edmund laughed heartily. "Just a friend?" Apparently he caught her slip-up.

Lindsay blushed. "Yes…no…I don't know." She sighed, and put her head in her hands.

"Well, which is it?" From his tone, Lindsay could almost bet that he had been a teacher once. So instead of answering his question, she asked hers.

"You were a teacher?"

Edmund laughed again. "Nine years- spent three of those as a principal. Did some work for NASA later on." He paused for a second, as if remembering what he had done with his life. "So, which is it?"

Lindsay sighed, knowing she couldn't evade the question. "That's quite a résumé." She too, was silent before finally answering Edmund's question. "Yes we're friends. Good friends. But not anything more than that, unfortunately."

"Expand please, tell me what you mean."

She found herself opening up to Edmund easily. "We're both CSIs- Crime Scene Investigators," Edmund nodded, showing he understood. "I used to live in Montana, but transferred here last year after I had some family trouble. When I first came here, I was so lonely- I didn't have really any friends, and I didn't really do anything outside of work with anyone. And when I first met Danny, I hated him." She laughed, remembering the first day at the zoo- she had thought he was the most arrogant jerk she'd ever met. "He was constantly teasing me, and would never call me by my name- he insisted on calling me Montana, for some reason that I still can't figure out. At first I hated the name- it made me feel like he didn't respect me- but after time, I started to like it. It was like a term of endearment, and I looked forward to hearing it come from his mouth everyday. Of course, I didn't tell him that, lest his ego get any bigger.

"And then as time went on I started to hang out with the others from my team, and started to make more friends. Especially Danny- we did a ton of stuff together. We had dinner, and watched movies at our apartments, had a beer after a hard day at work. I started to look forward to working with him, and couldn't wait until our next "date", or whatever it was." She sighed. "And then he got shot.

"How?"

"We were at a scene together, with out other friend named Sheldon. He kept telling me that something wasn't right, that the man who committed the crime was still in the house. But I didn't believe him." Lindsay realized that her voice was hollow sounding. It was still hard recounting the story. "Everything happed so fast. He subtly told me that he thought someone was in the closet. We started opening the door, when someone popped out, and hit Danny. While Danny was down, the man took his gun." She continued retelling the story of Danny's injury to Edmund. "He got hurt trying saving me." _Damn it. _The tears were coming back.

Edmund patted her hand in a fatherly way, and she started talking again. "When he was in surgery, I realized that I love him. I would do anything to redo that day, and take his pain away. I…" She couldn't go on; she didn't know what else to say.

The old man was silent for a moment before turning Lindsay's face to look at him. "Do you think that if Danny had absolutely no feelings for you that he would have taken those bullets for you?"

That question stumped her. "What?"

Edmund continued, sounding as if he understood the whole situation. "Well, think about this young Lindsay. If this strapping young man had absolutely no care for you, would he have gotten shot just to protect you?"

"No, but that just means he cares for me as a friend. Anyone would do that for a friend."

Edmund just nodded his head. "This is true. You make a valid point. But something tells me that he didn't do it as just a friend." He looked at her pointedly. "Have you informed Danny of your feelings for him?"

Lindsay blushed again. "Are you kidding me? I can't- won't- tell him! He doesn't feel the same way, I assure you." Lindsay shook her head, as if to prove her point.

Edmund just laughed. "You tell this boy how you feel, and then come back and tell me what he says."

Lindsay laughed, sticking out her hand. "Deal." They sat in silence for few minutes until a nurse walked in.

"Hello Edmund!" The nurse noticed Lindsay, and a smile graced her features. "Looks like you've got a visitor! Family, I assume?"

Lindsay was about to say that she was in the wrong room, but Edmund didn't let her. "God-daughter."

"That's nice." The nurse answered vaguely, and continued to do her normal routine. As soon as she left, Lindsay laughed.

"God-daughter?"

Edmund too gave a chuckle. "My god-daughter reminds me of you. Spunky little girl, full of life- can be _very _insecure though, sometimes." He emphasized his point, and Lindsay could tell that he wasn't just talking about his god-daughter.

She smiled. "Why are you in the ICU?"

Edmund's smile faded a bit. "Heart attack," Lindsay's original assumptions were correct. "Bowling last night, and all of a sudden, I stopped breathing. Been in here ever since, although the doctors say I should be out soon."

Lindsay grinned again; she was glad the man would be out soon. "I'm sorry; although I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious." Edmund nodded, seeming slightly distracted.

Again, they slipped into a comfortable silence before Lindsay remembered her real reason for coming here. "Oh!" She sat up quickly. "Sorry Edmund, but I forgot all about Danny!"

The old man smiled wryly. "Oh, don't worry. I knew that I would have to part with you before too long." They said they're goodbyes, and Lindsay walked to the door. She opened it, but then with a sudden burst of compassion for the man, she ran back to him, and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered in his ear. He patted her back, and then told her to go. She promised to come back and visit later. She gave one last smile, and then headed to the nurses station to find Danny's new room.

* * *

When she finally found her way to his room, Lindsay just stared at him through the window for a bit. He was reading a book- a reader was not something that she would have pegged him as- and he looked content.

Little did she know that Danny's mind was not all on the book that he was reading. In fact, his thoughts were solely on that of a young brunette that he so affectionately called Montana. For what was probably the third time that minute, waiting for the time that she showed up. She was running at least a half hour later than saidl, but Danny just attributed that to the fact that he had been moved to a different room.

After Lindsay had left last night, the doctor had come in and told him that he didn't feel like Danny needed to be in the ICU anymore, and that he would be moved to a different room on a lower floor. That and they needed the room for an elderly man who had had a heart attack.

He checked his watch again. 6:35. She had said that she would be here at 6:00 sharp. Enough time for her to go home, shower, and grab some food. Where was she?

Suddenly, the back of his neck prickled, as if someone was watching him. He kept his head bent down, but glanced up briefly. Stifling a grin, he saw Lindsay standing at his door, staring at him. He could do two things: either pretend to read and let Lindsay come in on her own sweet time, or he could tell her to hurry up and come in. He decided that he would give her five more minutes before he would say something.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

He watched his watch, counting the seconds. Finally, five minutes passed and still Lindsay hadn't moved.

"Like what you see Montana?" His voice was still hoarse- mostly because he hadn't had too much water lately- and he couldn't yell very well, but it got her attention.

Her head snapped up to his face, her eyes wide with a guilty expression. "I…um…" He could hear her fumbling for a response. He laughed a little bit, and called out to her again.

"You know, you can come in. I'm not contagious or anything." She blushed, but pushed open the door nonetheless. She settled herself in the chair beside the bed once more, and for a while they were content to just sit, much like she had just been doing with Edmund. After a while, Danny had to break the smile. Trying to make her smile, he turned to her and said, "So, you never answered my question."

Lindsay looked at him. "Which was…"

"I asked if you liked what you see." The mirth in his eyes was evident to Lindsay, but to some reason all Danny saw was seriousness in hers.

"Yes."

* * *

**Okay, it wasn't _that _long, but maybe if you review enough the next chapter will be longer:)**

**Charlotte**


	8. Look

**Sorry for the long delay, but I haven't had much time to write lately:) Again, it's just those darn teachers that give us too much work! **

**Disclaimer: It's still obvious that I don't own them, isn't it?**

**Pairing: Obviously it's a DL story, but I'm thinking of adding a bit more Stella/Flack in the story. If any of you would like that, please don't forget to tell me in your review! hint hint :)**

**A/N: I just wanted to point that (not that any of you care) that this is the longest story I've ever written! I mean, it's eight chapters, and nowhere near being done! Aren't you all proud! ;)**

**So, on with the story!**

* * *

"What?" He had meant it as a joke, and yet Lindsay was completely serious. 

"I answered your question." Her answer was concise, and it scared Danny slightly. What was going on?

"I realize that, but…"

"But what?" She stood up, and started pacing around the room, obviously agitated. "Why can't we finally acknowledge that we do indeed, have feelings for each other? Why do we constantly have to dance around each other, looking but never touching, flirting but never anything more? I'm sick of it Danny, sick of it!" She looked at him, and Danny saw a light that he had never noticed before. "I think I love you, okay? There, I said it! And while you don't feel the same way, at least now there's no more dancing around this. You know how I feel." She turned toward the door cheeks flaming. She hadn't meant to tell him like that, but it had just come out in her outburst.

"Lindsay, wait." Danny's voice was quiet and calm, and for some reason, excited. Lindsay stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.

"What?"

"Will you come back here, please?"

Lindsay didn't want to turn around, but something in Danny's voice was pleading, and she found her feet pulling her back to the chair. "What" She asked quietly, her eyes closed; she didn't know if she could bear to see his expression.

"Lindsay, look at me." The sound of her given name coming out of Danny's mouth made her open her eyes in surprise.

"Montana."

This time Danny looked confused, obviously not expecting Lindsay to say something. "What?" He'd been saying that a lot today it seemed.

"To you, I'm not Lindsay. I'm Montana- and I don't want you to call me anything else."

Danny nodded, and then prepared himself to continue. "If I wasn't in this hospital bed, I would pick you up and kiss you right now." He looked at Lindsay, a huge smile on his face. "You've got to know Montana, I've loved you since…well, I don't really know when. At first, I thought it was just some silly crush, but after all this time, I realize that it was love all along. I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you out for the longest time. The first time it crossed my mind was when we were eating bugs in the break room." They both made a face at the memory of the deep fried spiders. "I knew you were perfect when you first took a bite of that spider- it was so cute. But for some reason, I just couldn't work up the courage- who knew the big brave city boy from Satan Island couldn't work up the courage to ask out a country girl from Montana. But I let the chance slip away, and the months went by. I kept thinking about it, and once I almost asked you to dinner. I had finally decided to ask you out the day that this," he motioned to his chest, which was still bandaged, "happened. I told myself that I was going to do it after shift." He looked to her, his eyes completely serious. "So Montana, I don't want to dance around this anymore either. I want to date you, love you, and be with you. Whaddya say?"

His eyes were so pleading and desperate, that even if Lindsay didn't love him she would have said yes. "Of course! You think I would say yes when I just told you I love you?" She laughed, and to Danny it sounded like beautiful bells on the wind.

* * *

In another three weeks, Danny was ready to be discharged into Lindsay's care. In those past three weeks, Danny and Lindsay had spent every moment that they could together, talking about anything and everything. Although their relationship had drastically changed, nothing really seemed different, although now Lindsay kissed him every time she left and they held hands nonstop. 

At work, Lindsay was happier than she had ever been, and it didn't slip past the notice of her co-workers. Although they had their suspicions, nobody voiced their thoughts that it was Danny's doing.

* * *

"Will you calm down? The elevator is not going to move any faster no matter how hard you will it." Lindsay looked at Danny sternly, who was almost bouncing in his wheelchair. She knew he just wanted to get home, but he was getting annoying. 

"You've got to try to understand, Montana. I've been in that bloody hospital for almost four weeks. Eating _hospital_ food, lying in a_ hospital_ bed and against_ hospital_ pillows, seeing _hospital_ nurses and _hospital_ doctors- I'm so sick of hospitals I could scream. I don't even want to say it anymore, or any word that has hospital in it…like hospitable! Hospitals are not hospitable. At all."

The elevator doors dinged open, and Lindsay pushed him out before stopping and kneeling down in front of him. "You done?"

Danny looked at her before saying anything. "No! I can't even walk to my own apartment because the doctor doesn't want me to…to…I don't even know! I don't think I can tear out any stitches because it's been four weeks since I was shot! I want to be able to walk to my own apartment and open my own door! I am so sick of being the invalid!" He was silent, and then muttered, "At least now I know how Flack felt…"

Lindsay just shook her head. "You do realize that you were shot _five _times? Do you realize how lucky you were not to die? And yet you're complaining about being in a _wheelchair_? You need to have a little perspective here, Danny!" Although she loved him, she was a little annoyed with his depressed mood. All she wanted to do was have him be happy at being home, being with her, and being together.

Danny grumbled a bit more, but settled down. "I know everything you said is true, I'm just so sick of it! I want to _walk!_"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "You should be feeling lucky that you get to be pushed around everywhere like a king, by a beautiful slave that bends to your every whim. Think of it that way."

A grin crossed Danny's face. "Well, if you put it like that…"

* * *

Lindsay awoke to her alarm blaring in her ear, and she reached over to turn it off. Little did she remember that she was actually sleeping on Danny's couch, and so when she turned over, she rolled off the couch with a loud _oof. _

Inside his room, Danny awoke with a start, immediately thinking that someone was in his apartment. Then he remembered- Lindsay was here, sleeping on the sofa. His second thought was that something was wrong.

He sat up, ignoring the slight pain in his chest and looked about the room for his wheelchair. It was leaning against the wall, next to his door. It would take at least three steps to just sit in the stupid chair, but only a few to the living room. _What could it hurt? _

He swung his legs over the side of the bed slowly, happy that he didn't feel an ache in his chest again. He stood up on slightly uncertain legs before making his way to where Lindsay had been sleeping.

He leaned against the doorway, and waited to catch his breath- lying in bed for so long did nothing for his health- before speaking. "You okay?"

Lindsay jumped up quickly from where she was lying on the floor. "What are you doing out here without your chair?" Danny could tell that she wasn't really angry at him, but rather it was her embarrassment showing through. He had caught her on the floor, her tank top having ridden up- showing a dangerous amount of midriff, her curls waving wildly around her face.

"I heard a noise and I thought…I mean I wanted to…well, that is…" Words were suddenly failing him. Truth was he had mainly just wanted to get up and see her.

"You should be back in bed."

He ignored her. "What are you doing on the floor? Wouldn't the couch be more comfortable to sleep on?"

The blush immediately returned to her cheeks. "Well I _was _sleeping on the couch but then…" This time she was the one stuttering. "I reached for my alarm, and well…I kinda rolled off."

He snorted. "Graceful." Suddenly, a bout of coughing overtook him, and he doubled over in pain. In an instant Lindsay was by his side and guiding him slowly to the couch. She ran a comforting hand over his back, trying to get him to calm down. After a few moments, his coughing subsided, and his breathing returned to normal.

"How's the pain?" She asked quietly.

Danny ran a hand over his eyes, wiping away the tears that had gathered there. "Not as bad as I would have expected, but not the best."

She nodded but didn't remove her hand from his back. The white tank top that he had on did nothing to hide his well defined muscles, and his casual look was completed by a plain pair of loose fitting black sweat pants. Lindsay immediately began to feel guilty for checking Danny out when he was in pain. While Lindsay was studying Danny, he took this time to look her over. The blue tank top was just tight enough to leave nothing to the imagination, but covering enough to leave him wishing for more. Her shorts were tight and gave Danny a wonderful view of Lindsay's well-toned legs.

Unconsciously, they had been moving closer and closer to each other, and soon their faces were only inches apart. "Danny…" She breathed his name, sending shivers up his spine.

"Lindsay," Her name was just a whisper, but it was so sweet and seductive to her ears. Slowly they moved ever closer, and finally, their lips met in a sweet kiss.

* * *

**How was that for some really yummy and gooey fluff:) **

**Don't forget to review! **

**Charlotte**


	9. Listen

**Disclaimer: I know I don't know them...Sad, I know, because if I did, Danny and Lindsay would have SO gotten together already:)**

**I am the worst at updating lately! I feel so horrible, but I promise that I'll update quicker next time:P Wait, I said that last time, didn't I? Oops... ;)**

**Well, a bit of DL angst in this chapter- and for all of those who love DL angst, you'll get plenty in the next chapter. All this rain the Pacific Northwest has just put me in an angsty mood, what can I say:) Also, some more Flack/Stella in this chapter. Well, I think that's it! Oh, and please don't forget to review! **

**Oh snap, I forgot something. :) For those of you who've read my story "Kidnapped", see if you can spot the small reference in the beginning. And without further ado, read on!**

_

* * *

_

_Ring. _"Mmf…Danny…the phone…" Lindsay mumbled still half asleep. _Ring. Ring. Ring. _She pulled the pillow over her head, but it did nothing to block out the annoying sound of stupid phone. "Danny! Get the bloody phone!" She finally gave up with the pillow, and instead chose to throw it at the bathroom door.

A muffled yell came through the closed door, and then the water shut off with a squeak. _Ring. _That darned phone was just about to stop its spouting when Danny ran out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. "I was in the middle of a shower, you know!" He yelled to her over his shoulder as he sped past her.

"I'm trying to sleep!" She yelled back before rolling back over and closing her eyes. Sleep was just about to overtake her again when she heard him answer the phone.

"Hello?" There was silence for a few moments as the person on the other end started to speak. "Gee Mom; it's nice to talk to you too." She heard Danny say sarcastically. It took a few moments to register in her brain, but finally she realized that Danny was talking to his mother. Lindsay had heard a lot over the last few months about Elnora Messer, and so she had to get a small glimpse of what she was like. She quietly slipped out of bed and crept softly into the kitchen where she kept the other phone. She then made it into the bedroom again without Danny noticing her, pulled her knees up to her chest- it was cold- and the covers back on. She pressed the _talk _button, and was listening to the mother and son's conversation.

"Daniel Carmine Messer!" Elnora's shrill voice emanated from the phone. "Now is not the time to get saucy with me! When were you going to tell your father and me about your injury?"

"Mom, I was going to tell you, I swear. I just-"

"Don't give me any excuses, young man! Did you think that we would never find out that you had been shot? Were you ever going to tell us?"

"Come on, I was going to tell you! You don't need to get so worked up!" Danny protested.

"Not get worked up? My gosh Daniel, it's been almost for months since you got shot! And you didn't get shot only once! You had to go and get yourself shot in the chest _five _times!" _She's right._ Lindsay thought to herself, trying to suppress the shiver that threatened to run down her spine at the picture of Danny being shot that ran through her mind.

"Mom, you were on your first vacation with Dad in six years! Not to mention your first break from caring for Louie since he got hurt! I wasn't just going to interrupt your time in the Bahamas with the news of something that you couldn't possibly hope to fix!" _He's got a point too though. _Lindsay noted to herself again.

"Daniel, I don't care if we were on vacation," While Elnora's voice had always had concern it in, it was masked by the yelling. But now, she had quieted down, and was much mellower. "You're my only healthy son left. I don't want to have to visit you in the hospital for Christmas!" Lindsay heard a sniff, and could hear Danny sigh. She knew that Danny wasn't trying to upset his mother, that he was just trying to see why he hadn't called her, but he wasn't succeeding.

There was a pause, and then Elnora started speaking again. "Daniel, your father and I are going to come and see you today."

Danny signed loudly again. "No Mom, you can't do that."

"And why not?" Elnora demanded sternly.

"Because today is the first day I'll be back at work. Mac cleared me for work yesterday- he said my physical therapy has progressed very well and that I'm okay to go back."

"What?" Danny's mother screeched into the phone. "Do you mean to tell me that you're going to go back to work even after you've been shot?"

"Yes-" Danny started to say, but Elnora cut him off.

"I won't allow it. You are going to call your boss right now and you are going to tell him that you quit. I won't allow you to get hurt again!"

Danny's voice was calm, but Lindsay could tell that he was trying his hardest to remain that way. "Mom, I am going back to work. This is the first time I've gotten hurt on the job, and I doubt anything like this is going to happen again."

"Daniel, it's not the only time that you've been hurt on this asinine job." Lindsay's head snapped up from where she was resting it on the headboard. What was Elnora talking about? And why hadn't Danny told her? "When you first started you were almost killed by that maniac- he tried to strangle you."

"Mom, that wasn't a big deal. I mean-"

Elnora continued as though she hadn't heard Danny. "Not to mention when you got shot in the arm- that put you out of work for a month. Then there was the time that you got beat up some crazy maniac that was mad about you putting his brother away for life. Then there was-"

"Okay Mom, I get it. I've gotten hurt before, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop. I _love _my job, and I'm not going to quit just because I got hurt. It's not as dangerous as some other jobs." Danny reasoned.

"But Danny, you're not the only one to get hurt!" Elnora said desperately, obviously trying to sway her son. "There was that one friend of yours that got blown up in the building, and almost died. Not to mention sweet Aiden- that monster killed her not too long ago. Danny, I just don't want anything to happen to you!" _How does she know Aiden by name, but not know who Don is?_ Lindsay thought, suddenly jealous. Did Danny and Aiden have a relationship?

"I hear what you're saying, Mom, but it isn't going to change my mind. I'm still going to work today. End of story." Lindsay heard Elnora meekly concede to Danny, and heard them making plans for when she and Danny's father- Gino Messer- would come to visit, but Lindsay's mind was still on how Elnora knew Aiden so well.

She decided that she didn't need to hear anymore and hung up the phone, not really caring if Danny knew she had been listening or not. She rolled over, and hugged the pillow to her face. Why was she suddenly insecure of her relationship with Danny? She knew that he loved her- had they not confessed their feelings in the hospital so many months ago? Why was she jealous of someone that was dead, someone that had no impact on her future with Danny?

She lay on her back for a few more moments until she heard Danny walking back toward the bedroom, and then rolled over on her stomach so that he couldn't see her. She heard the floorboards creak as Danny shifted his weight, leaning against the doorway. He took a few breaths before speaking. "What do you think of my mother?"

She rolled over, trying to look as though she had just woken up. "What?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on Montana, I know you were listening."

Sitting up fully now, she asked sheepishly, "How did you know?"

"Montana, it's not that hard to hear when someone else clicks in." She looked at him, and he smiled. "Not to mention I saw you run back into the bedroom."

"Oh." Suddenly, Danny sensed that Lindsay wasn't in the best of moods. "You okay Montana?" She nodded absently, but Danny wasn't fooled. He walked over and sat next to her on the bed, placing his fingers under her chin and turning her head so that she had to look at him. "Seriously Lindsay, what's wrong? If you thought that I was mad that you weren't answering the phone, I wasn't really. Maybe a little annoyed, but I wasn't mad. Is that it?" Danny guessed as to what was wrong.

"I'm fine." Lindsay looked away from him, not wanting to admit that she was resentful that Danny's mother didn't even know Lindsay was her son's girlfriend, but that she knew Aiden by name. "It's nothing- I stubbed my toe on the way into the bedroom. It just hurts." She pushed away from Danny, standing up and stretching. "I've got to get in the shower."

Danny just nodded, looking confused. _What did I do?_

* * *

They drove to work together, the car ride filled with a tense silence. As soon as Danny parked, Lindsay was out of the car, and almost running to the doors. Danny shook his head, and proceeded slowly to Mac's office. He was barely stepping out of the elevator doors when Stella practically bowled him over.

"Danny!" Stella pulled him into a tight hug, and kissed him on the cheek. _Well, at least somebody's happy for me that I'm back._ Danny though wryly, thinking of how Lindsay had seemed upset that he was in fact coming to work today. "You're back!"

Danny pushed the negative thoughts of Lindsay aside, and instead laughed at Stella's statement. "Way to state the obvious, Stel." He glanced down at his watch. "Hey sorry, but I've gotta run. My meeting with Mac is in five."

Stella nodded, but gave him one last hug. "It's good to have you back, Danny. The lab just isn't the same without you." A grin spread across the younger man's face as he walked past Stella, but he had only gone a little further when Hawkes descended upon him.

"Danny!" Sheldon called out, running up to see his co-worker. "It's great to see you!" Sheldon clapped him on the back, and looked him over. "You look good, Danny, you look good." They walked toward Mac's office, talking over this and that. Finally Sheldon peeled off to go to DNA, but not before wishing the other man good luck.

Danny entered Mac's office with a smile on his face, and waited for his boss to hang up the phone. "Sure. Okay, thanks." Mac clicked the _off_ button, and turned to Danny, a small grin playing on his lips. "It's good to see you up and moving, Danny. I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit lately." Mac had been coming by Danny's apartment a few times a week, but work had been heavier than normal this past month, and the older man hadn't been able to visit.

"That's okay Mac, I know how heavy work can be sometimes. Lindsay's been by too, so I wasn't that lonely." _More than a few times, _he thought to himself, unable to keep another smile from coming to his face.

Mac laughed. "I figured that." They sat for a few moments in silence before Mac straightened a few papers on his desk and then turned to Danny. "Well Danny, I've talked to your doctors, and they say everything is fine and your therapist said you seem to be handling this well, so…" Mac trailed off, letting Danny finish his sentence for him.

"I'm good to come back to work." Danny face broke into a grin again- he just didn't seem to be able to keep it off his face. "Thanks so much Mac, for everything."

"Don't worry about it Danny. Now let's get going- I've got to pass out the assignments in…" He looked down at his watch. "Now actually, so we best get a move on." Danny nodded, and proceeded to the break room with Mac. The others were already there, waiting and talking, and for some reason so was Flack.

Danny stood back and observed the team that at once was so foreign and familiar to him at the same time. He noticed the differences in body language between the people, and how there seemed to be different groups now.

Whenever Flack had been with the team before the assignments had been instructed, he and Danny would share some coffee and talk. However, now Don and Stella sat a table, each eating their own muffin. They sat close, and were talking quietly and intimately. Danny picked up on how both of their bodies were angled toward each other, signaling how close they were. He knew that they had become friends over the last few months, but Danny had not realized how much their relationship had progressed. Suddenly, he remembered something that he had overheard Stella said to Flack a while ago- _If they don't screw each other soon, we'll have to lock them in a room together! _Danny gave a small laugh, wondered when Stella and Flack would finally realize that this statement applied to them also.

Next to his wandered to Lindsay and Sheldon. Lindsay was sitting on the sofa, looking slightly annoyed, and Hawkes was sitting on the arm of the couch, obviously trying to consol her about something. _About what? _Danny thought to himself. _And why isn't she talking to me about it? I am her boyfriend._

Even at the thought of the relationship that had been developing with Lindsay made him want to start laughing with delight. It was amazing how Lindsay changed him, and how it changed his perspective on life. Before, he was just going day by day and not always living his life to the fullest. But after he was with her… Every day was an adventure, and every day was something new. And he loved everything about it. When he went to visit Louie every week in the hospital, he would tell him all about Lindsay and how wonderful she was. He was amazed that the man who was once afraid of showing his feelings now wore his heart on his sleeve…well, at least around Lindsay. Everything between them so far had been magical, and as far as he could tell, there wasn't any trouble between them? _So then what was bothering her?_

_

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_

**A/N: 18lzytwner- Remember, all we have to do is make the call. Of course, that restraining order might be a problem, but we can find a loophole:)**

**Thanks again to everyone for reading!**


	10. Argue

**Standard disclaimers still apply. **

**I am officially the worst updater ever, I know. And for that, I am _so _sorry. Besides having so much homework and no time to write, I've been having a lot of trouble with this chapter. I'm still not happy how it has turned out, but after staring at the same paragraph for hours on end I figured it'd be better if I just posted it and got it over with. :) **

**Please don't forget to review though, and tell me what you think, because it would be greatly appriciated. **

* * *

As soon as Mac handed out the assignments, it seemed almost l like any other day for Danny- except for whatever was going on with Lindsay. Of course, he was almost assaulted with hellos every time he walked into a room by some lab tech or another person that worked in the lab. He didn't even know that he was that popular.

He had been paired with Stella on a murder in Central Park, and their case had barely moved along by his shift ended. He had looked forward to going home, maybe inviting Lindsay over and talking about whatever was bothering her. Unfortunately, Lindsay was pulling a double tonight, or so he was informed by Stella right before he left. So instead, he rode the subway home very lonely, and slightly dejected.

* * *

Lindsay was glad that her partner for her case was Sheldon- even the thought of trying to go throughout the day avoiding Danny while working on the same case would have just been too much. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Danny it was just that…Sighing, she realized that she actually had no idea what she really wanted. She couldn't explain to him that she was mad at him over something that wasn't even his fault, that she was jealous over something so trivial. It wasn't as though Danny had purposely _not _told his parents about her, or that they obviously known Aiden so well. And it wasn't as though he was doing anything to intentionally hurt her, or- 

"Are you even listening to me?" Hawkes asked suddenly, interrupting Lindsay's train of thought.

"What? Sorry, I wasn't listening…"

He chuckled. "I was telling you what Sid found on the girl's body. You're still stuck on that thing from this morning, aren't you?"

Lindsay groaned, cursing the fact that Sheldon could read her so easily. "Of course I am."

Hawkes laughed again. "I knew it." He was silent for a moment, recalling their discussion from earlier. "If I remember right from our previous conversation, you overheard Elnora chastising Danny over old injuries. Care to continue?"

"I guess…" Lindsay stopped walking and leaned against the wall. She rubbed her eyes and let out another big sigh before speaking again. "He got injured before, and he never told me. I'm his _girlfriend_ and he never thought to mention that he had been shot before, or that he was almost killed. No, I have to learn about this from his mother! Not to mention that it was during a phone call that I wasn't supposed to be listening to!" She hit her head a few times on the wall behind her, wishing that somehow that could just make her frustration and despair go away. "And then I learn about how Elnora misses Aiden _so _much, and how close they were! And yet, she doesn't even know my name!" She smacked her head again. "I shouldn't be upset over that, and I know it's stupid. She's _dead._" After seeing Sheldon's face, Lindsay immediately sobered. "Oh Sheldon, I'm so sorry. You know I don't mean that; I know she was an excellent officer and an ever better friend. That was a horrible thing to say, and I swear it just slipped. I don't even know why I said it…" She knew she was rambling, but she felt so bad. How could she have said something like that, when the pain of Aiden's death was still so fresh in everyone's mine. "Will you forgive me?"

He nodded, but Lindsay could tell that he was still upset. She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "Sheldon, please, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." His features softened, and she knew she was pardoned.

"I know Lindsay, I know. It's just so hard, ya know? We were close, and I still don't always remember that she's…gone." They were both silent for a moment, before Sheldon smiled at her once more. "So you were saying?"

"Oh," Lindsay had almost forgotten what they had been talking about. "He came back in after I had hung up, and asked me what I thought of his mother- he knew I'd been on the phone. He could tell that I was upset about something, but I wouldn't tell him. He wouldn't have understood." She was quiet; trying to hold back the tears that she didn't know were coming. "I just, I would have thought that if he loved me as much as he says he does, why wouldn't he have told his parents about me? Why?" The tears started to fall, but Lindsay didn't really care if anyone saw. "I'm being _so _stupid, I know." She wiped the tears away angrily, but her eyes were still red.

"Hey, it's okay," Sheldon said, and pulled his co-worker into a hug. After a few seconds he released her, and then spoke again. "Did you ever think about the fact that maybe he hasn't told his parents about you because today was the first day that he talked to them since he got shot?" He held her at arms length and looked her in the eye sternly. "Did you remember that he had a fight with his mom today, and maybe ever think that he didn't have time to tell his folks about you yet?" She shook her head, feeling more and more idiotic every second. Of course, she would forget everything else, and just assume the worst. "Ya know Lindsay, maybe you should talk to him about how you feel, but remember what I just said. Don't start making judgments before you know the whole story." Sheldon added, echoing her own thoughts.

As Hawkes left, Lindsay marveled at how she could have been so blind as to not see past her own insecurities, and see the entire account.

* * *

The toaster dinged, signifying that it was done. Danny gingerly got up from his place on the couch, clutching at his torso and therefore trying to fend off the pain. For some reason his chest had been paining him exceptionally much that day, although he couldn't figure out why. _It must be the cold, _he thought vaguely. His doctor had told him at his last visit that the cold could affect his wound. 

He pulled out the toast, buttered it, and then started eating slowly. The silence in the apartment lent itself well to help calm the confusion in his mind. He had spent the whole afternoon mulling over his situation with Lindsay, but had come up with no solution to his problem. Maybe if he could just talk to her without any interruptions…

Suddenly the phone rang, stirring him out of his reverie. He decided to screen the call, and if it was Lindsay or someone else important he would pick up. If not, they could leave a message.

Satisfied with his choice, he waited for the answering machine to kick in. "Hi, you've reached Danny Messer. I can't come to the phone right now, so leave me a name and number and I'll think about calling you back."

The machine beeped before whoever was calling started to leave their message. "Hey Danny, its Julie. We haven't been able to talk in a while and I thought maybe we could grab a drink together. Call me."

In a moment of spontaneity, he reached for the phone and immediately dialed her number. "Julie, it's me. I'll take you up on that offer."

* * *

**I know it's a little bit short, and again I'm sorry. Also, I promise to update sooner next time:) **

**A/N: I just realized that I've received over a hundred reviews on this story! To all of those that reviewed- THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU'RE THE BEST!!!!**

**Charlotte**


	11. Love

**Standard disclaimers still apply. :)**

**It's shocking, I know. I've gotten more than one update up in a span of a month:) Don't you love Christmas Break? It gives me so much time! Anyway, I have to warn you guys- this chapter hasn't been read by anyone else, and the end was written late at night so its not the best. :) Still, leave a review please and tell me what you think! **

* * *

Danny had to keep himself from fidgeting as the cab neared Joe's Bar, seeing as he was so excited to see his old friend. He could hardly keep the smile off his face as he remembered all the times they had shared together in college. She was almost like the sister that he had never had.

Standing 5'10", Julie always stood out in a crowd. She kept her hair cut short and spiky, and was always experimenting with color. When they were younger, she had once dyed it green, making it look like she had grass growing on her head. She was skinny, but kept fit and healthy because she worked as a firewoman. Her features were more angular than Lindsay's, Danny noted, though her brown eyes couldn't compare to those of his girlfriend. Still, Julie was beautiful.

They had grown up together in the streets of Staten Island, doing almost everything with each other. They were near inseparable in junior high and high school, and so it only seemed natural that they went to the same college. Their families each scraped together enough money for them to go to NYU, what with Louie not going to a university and Julie being an only child. As soon as they had graduated, Julie married her professor. It was a shock for Danny because she had never told him they were dating, but the hardest blow of all was when she and her husband and moved to California.

They had exchanged letters for a while, and talked on the phone once a month, but it wasn't enough for their friendship to stay alive. After a year, all contact ceased with the promise that if either of them was ever in town they would visit. This was the first time in a long time that Danny had heard from her.

He jumped from the cab, paid the driver, and hurried out of the cold and into the bar. As he entered the bar, he searched for her figure in the smoky room. Finally, he spotted her and pushed his way through the crowd. Sitting down at the booth that Julie occupied, he smiled brightly at her. "It's been too long, Julie."

She glanced up, startled. "Danny!" Leaping up, she ran to Danny's side of the table, and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Danny I've missed you!"

His breathing hitched as she squeezed him, and he was forced to push her away. "Easy there, Jules. I'm awfully sore tonight."

As she made her way back to her side of the table, Julie looked at him with concern. "What have you done to yourself this time?"

Danny laughed dryly. "I got shot."

Julie gasped. "You got shot? How?"

"You really want to know?" She nodded, and Danny proceeded to tell his friend what had happened.

"So without even thinking you leaped in front of this girl Lindsay, and took not one but _five _bullets for her?" He nodded, and Julie sat in silence for a moment. "Would you do it again?"

Danny answered without hesitation. "Yes."

Julie was silent for another minute, and then murmured quietly to herself. "Who would have thought that the infamous Danny Messer would fall in love?"

Danny took a slow sip of his water- he wasn't in the mood for alcohol tonight- and looked up to Julie with serious eyes. "I think she's the one."

Julie almost spit out her drink. "You've got to be kidding me! _You _of all people just said that she's the "one." Danny, you're the one that always said-"

"You sound like you're upset! I'm not talking about marriage yet, I'm just saying that-"

"Yet?" Julie asked incredulously. "First you tell me you get shot protecting this girl, then you tell me you're in love, and now you're talking about marriage!"

Danny slammed down his drink on the table, and had to restrain himself from losing his temper. "I thought you of all people would be happy for me. Didn't I support you when you decided to marry that professor? Didn't I wish you the best when you left New York together? All I'm asking for the same in return!"

Both Julie and he were silent, their pride not letting them apologize for their outburst. Finally though, Danny softened. "Look Jules, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me."

"No, you were right. You took everything I sprung on you back in the day, and you deserve the same." She fell silent, and Danny mulled over how much Julie had changed over the years. Before, they would have both exploded and wouldn't have talked for weeks. Now, it had taken less than two minutes for each of them to apologize and make up.

Finally, Julie spoke up again. "I've really missed you, all these years. John and the kids are all I could have ever dreamed of, and of course I've made more friends over the years, but…" She trailed off, and Danny couldn't help but grinning.

"We have a unique relationship. You've been more of a sibling to me than my brother ever was." Julie nodded her agreement, knowing exactly what he meant.

The rest of the night they spent reminiscing about their college days, and growing up. Time slipped away from them, and before them they knew it, it was past three. The bar was closing, and many patrons waited for a taxi. As they stood in line, they each were starting to prepare for their goodbyes.

"You promise you'll come to California some time?" Julie asked again, right before they parted.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Danny flashed Julie his trademark smile, and pulled her into a hug. "You be careful going home."

"I will." He let her go, letting her step into her taxi. Closing the door, he watched sadly as his friend left once more. He hated goodbyes, but this one wasn't as hard as before; they would see each other again. _Bittersweet, _he thought after a moment,_ most definitely bittersweet._

* * *

Lindsay stumbled into the apartment at half past three in the morning. All the lights were off, and so she assumed that Danny was asleep.

She wearily set her bag down, and laid her coat on the table in the kitchen as she walked by. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, she filled it with water. As she took an appreciative swallow, she wandered over to the phone to check the messages. The red light was blinking, and so she pressed the button, not really concentrating fully on the voice emanating from the machine.

The first was from Danny's landlord, reminding him that rent was due that week. The second was from Lindsay's sister- she was the only one in her family that had Danny's number. She was just about to turn off the machine when the third message came on. Hey Danny, its Julie…"

Lindsay listened to the rest of the message, anxiety growing with every word. Who was Julie? Why hadn't Danny told her about this girl? Was that why Danny hadn't told his parents around her? Because of Julie?

All rational thought left Lindsay's mind as that revelation entered her mind. Her conversation with Hawkes was promptly forgotten as she rushed out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom. She had always heard that Danny was a player, but he said he loved her. He wouldn't cheat on her…would he?

"Danny?" She flipped on the lights, not caring if she woke him up. "Danny…"

The bed was empty, still made from that morning. Pushing back the disturbing images of Danny and this girl that seemed to pop in her head unbidden, she quickly strode to the answering machine to hear what time the Julie girl had called.

"First saved message, sent yesterday at 7:56 PM. Hey Danny-" She swiftly turned it off, unwilling to listen to that woman's voice again. Next she pushed down her fears and pulled out her inner CSI, searching for clues that Danny might have left.

_The phone. _Her eyes immediately went to the phone, lying on the table beside the couch. That meant that sometime before he left, Danny had called someone. _Her? _She snatched up the phone and pressed the first number on the redial.

It rang seven times before the answering machine kicked in. "Hey it's Julie. Since I didn't answer my phone-"

She ended the call, confirming her suspicion that it was Julie's number Danny had called last. Again her eyes swept the room, landing on a piece of paper sitting next to the sink. How had she missed it?

It was ripped off the notepad Lindsay had placed for messages by the phone when she had first moved in. Danny's illegible scrawl was even messier than usual, obvious that he had written it in a hurry.

_Lindsay-_

_Gone out with an old friend. Be back later. _

_Danny _

"Lindsay?" She said aloud to herself. "Why not Montana?" Again, thoughts forced their way into her mind that made her sick. Once more she fought back her panic and dialed Danny's cell phone. _Please let him pick up, please just let him pick up. _It rang once…twice…three times with no answer. Frustrated, Lindsay slammed the phone down on the counter.

"Whoa there, Montana," Danny's voice rang from the hallway, making Lindsay jump. She tried to slow her breathing before turning around and looking at him accusatorily. "You don't want to…" He trailed off upon seeing her face. "Are you okay?"

She stepped closer to him, trying to smell his breath. "Where have you been?"

The question stopped him short. "What?"

"Where have you been? It's 3:45 and you just got home."

"I left you a note..." He stopped again as he saw the murderous look in Lindsay's eyes.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" She tried to keep her voice even, not to let her emotions show, but it was to no avail; her voice wavered in the middle of the sentence.

"Did I think that you wouldn't find out what? Where are you going with this Lindsay?" Danny asked exasperated.

"I think you know. I thought you loved me." This time her voice was low and even, and it scared Danny more than any murderer he had ever faced.

"I do love you!" Danny exclaimed loudly, growing more confused and frightened by the second. Then softening his tone, he took her by the shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. "Lindsay, just tell me what's going on here! Are you okay?"

Danny's compassion and worry was too much for Lindsay, and the tears she had been holding back suddenly flooded past her barriers. "How can you worry about me when you've been…?" She stopped as a sob forced its way up. She backed away from him, stopping as her knees hit the couch. Collapsing onto the piece of furniture, she buried her head in her hands.

Concern washed over Danny as he watched her cry. Walking over, he gently enveloped her in a hug. "Lindsay- Montana- just talk to me. What is _wrong_?"

Taking a deep breath to work up the courage to look in him the eye, Lindsay let everything pour out. She started with the phone call, then her jealousy, and followed with her coming home to an empty apartment, the message, and finally her fears of him cheating on her. As she finished, she prepared herself for yelling she knew was going to come. However, Danny surprised her.

Instead of growing angry, Danny simply pulled her closer and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Montana, there is one thing you've got to understand; I may have had a lot girls in the past, but I don't give out my heart to anyone. You've also got to know that when I took those bullets for you, I didn't think twice. And I wouldn't have done that for just anyone- when it comes to my safety, I'm a selfish guy. But I took one look at where he was pointing that gun, and my heart stopped. I knew what I had to do, and I didn't hesitate. I still remember thinking as I hit the ground- right before I blacked out- was that I did okay because _you _were safe. No one else, just you." He held her at arm's length, making sure she could look into his eyes and see he was telling her the truth. "I would never to anything to jeopardize our relationship, because I love you so much."

Lindsay nodded slowly, seeing the truth and love in Danny's eyes. Her feelings of idiocy and folly were increasing more and more as Danny continued to talk. He told her about his night with Julie, their conversation about love, and everything in between.

"I'm so sorry," Lindsay burst out when Danny had finished telling her everything. "I can't believe I thought you would-"

Placing his fingers over her lips, Danny silenced her. "No more of this- I'm not mad. I forgive you." He pulled her into a tight hug once more, kissed her forehead. Wiping away her tears with his thumb, he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. "I love you Montana, and don't you ever think anything different."

* * *

**Admit it, I had you scared for a second there that something would happen with Julie. :) **

**Please don't forget to review!**

**Charlotte**


	12. End

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own them...yet. Laughs wickedly**

**A/N 1: Okay, let me just apologize first of all for letting this story go a little bit. Okay, a lot bit. : ) Anyway, just wanted to apologize for that. I guess I just kinda...didn't know where to take it. **

**A/N 2: So going off of the first note...Since I didn't quite know where to take this, I decided to end it here. I'm sorry if that's not what some of you wanted, but since I'm the author... ; ) **

**So, I think that's it. I got it all out there...the apology, and the end. Yep that's it!**

**Oh, wait, no it's not! A _HUGE _thank you to all of you who took the time to review! I probably wouldn't have written this much without you: )**

**Now I'm done! Go ahead, and read on: )**

* * *

Lindsay traced circles lazily on Danny's chest as they lay in bed together. He ran his fingers through her curls, winding them around his finger. All was silent, and all was peaceful. Neither of them had to be to work for another few hours, and without spoken consent, had decided to stay in bed.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the tranquility that had been created.

"Hmm?" He murmured quietly in response.

"Do you ever regret it?" She didn't have to elaborate for Danny to know what she was talking about.

He chuckled quietly, still playing with her hair. "I thought we'd been over this, Montana."

She smiled wistfully at him. "That's not what I meant. I know you say you didn't hesitate and everything, but do you ever think that…well…"

He waited for her to continue, and when she didn't he prompted her. "Go on."

She took a deep breath, and then finally asked. "Do you sometimes wish that you hadn't dived in front of me? Do you wish that you hadn't gotten shot?"

Danny rolled over so that Lindsay was under him, and looked at her seriously. Before he spoke, he took her hand in his, and traced his scars with her fingers. "See these? They're part of me now, and they're part of my history. I wouldn't trade them, just like I wouldn't trade any of my scars that I got when I was growing up simply because they show my past and what I've been through." He kissed her fingertips gently, one for each finger. "But even more, I don't – and won't- _ever_ regret it because it saved you. Because if I regretted getting hurt, that would mean I would regret saving you and I don't, because I love you more than the earth itself. So to answer your question, no I don't regret it."

Lindsay smiled, and leaned up to capture his lips with hers. Their kisses soon became feverish, and they both knew they would be late for work that day.

* * *

On the ride home, both Danny and Lindsay were silent, the bustle of the subway around them. Holding each other's hand, they sat with her head on his shoulder.

Danny used this time to reflect on the past year. So much had happened, both good and bad. Aiden dying and Flack getting injured were horrible, and were not experiences he cared to repeat. But then he met Lindsay…and everything had been better since then. He could not have imagined how he could be luckier.

She was perfection. No matter how many times she laughed it off, it was true. He couldn't believe how she didn't see it- she was absolute perfection. Every time he saw her, he melted inside, plain and simple. Therefore, she was perfection. And it wasn't just her laugh that did him it- it was her eyes, her hair, her body, her soul, her personality, her everything. No matter what she did, it was beautiful to him.

Shaking his head, he laughed to himself quietly. _God Messer, you're turning into a mushy romantic! What would Louie say if he heard you talk like that? _But even if he thought that Danny knew that no matter what anyone else thought, he would always be a romantic with Lindsay around.

"What are you thinking about?" Lindsay asked suddenly, making his thoughts scatter.

He smiled gently at her, and said softly, "Just thinking about us…you especially."

She picked up her head, and glanced at him curiously. "Good thoughts?"

Bringing their intertwining hands up to his lips, Danny kissed her fingers. "Always." He was silent for another moment then looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "I think we should move in together."

"What?" Lindsay exclaimed so loud that a few of their fellow passengers glared at them, upset at the interruption.

"What do you mean what?" He chuckled, the sound reverberating in his chest. "We practically live together anyway, and its useless for you to have to go to your apartment- the one that's half way across the city, I might add- every morning for a new set of clothes. If you really think of it Montana, it just makes more sense. I don't see why it's that big of a deal."

Lindsay's mind was still back a few seconds "But we can't move in together! I mean…well…I need my apartment!"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really? And why is that?"

"Because…well…" She paused, and the spoke again, finally figuring a good argument. "What if we have a fight, and don't want to see each other? If we live in the same apartment, where will one of us go?"

"That's the best you can do?" He once more had an amused look on his face. "I mean, what are we going to do when we get married? We'll have to come home to the same house eventually."

It was the "when we'll get married," not "if we get married" that did Lindsay in. How could she say no when he was so certain that only good could come of their relationship? Even her strongest argument could not stand up against that.

Finally she sighed, and looked up at him. "Okay."

"Really?" He brightened up immediately, his face lighting up like a little boy in a candy store. "You mean it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Good." He squeezed her tightly, and they rode the rest of the way home in joyful silence.

* * *

Lindsay wiped her brow with a dirty white t-shirt, and looked at Danny and Flack. "Well, I think that's the last of them."

Flack looked at her, mock annoyance splayed across his face. "I would hope so- I'm not carrying one more box up five flights. You could have told me the elevator was broken before you asked me to help you."

Lindsay laughed, and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Ah, Flack. Don't be like that! But do you think we would have called you if we knew the elevator was working?"

It took Flack a minute to get what she said, but he smacked her playfully when he did. "Gee, thanks Monroe." She laughed, and Danny pulled her to his side.

"Just think of it this way- you're getting the exercise you didn't get when you were in the hospital." Danny smirked as Flack turned the glare to him.

"Wow. I feel so much better." He looked around the room, and then back to the couple; this time with a smile on his face. "Well, even if you did coerce me into helping, I was happy to do it." He walked over and gave both Danny and Lindsay a hug. Then, just as he was at the door, he turned back and looked to Lindsay. "You two are going to be fine."

Both of them smiled, and thanked Flack once more for his help. As soon as he left, the two collapsed on Danny's couch amid the many boxes. He placed a kiss on the top of her slightly-sweaty head. "You know Montana, he's right."

She looked up at him, and gave him a weary smile. "Hmm?"

He returned the gesture, and then spoke. "Don. He was right."

"About?"

"Us."

"Oh, and how's that?"

This time, his grin reached from ear to ear. Slowly, he tilted her head up, and kissed her softly on the lips. "We're going to be _just _fine."

* * *

**Hopefully not too short, and hopefully a good ending: ) Please don't forget to review, and thanks again to everyone!**

**Charlotte**


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